The Impact of Refrigerator Standards on U.S. Households

Appliance standards have long been a contentious issue in American culture, but they have become more so recently with the so-called culture wars (Hoffman, 2012). In this article, we explore some of the issues surrounding appliance standards by examining the impact of refrigerator standards in the United States. We have both been working in the energy and energy efficiency world our entire careers and believe in the importance of appliance standards, so getting the truth out about what works (and what doesn’t work) to save energy is important to us. This article is based on a paper we presented at the 2013 International Energy Program Evaluation Conference held in Chicago this past August.